South Western Railway and Great Western Railway have announced that they have been commended for joining forces to run trains for the Royal Wedding in May.

The award was awarded to the train operating companies at the RailStaff awards held on Thursday 29th November 2018.

Both train operators arranged special train services to make sure the day went without a hitch for passengers.

Bunting and Union Jack flags decorated stations to welcome passengers upon their arrival at Windsor. The station was also renamed Harry and Meghan Central.

Pre-recorded station announcements were made in Mandarin by SWR staff for Chinese visitor.

Tim Keen, Deputy Head of Stations for South Western Railway, was also nominated in the Rail Manager of the Year category.

What did the officials say?

Alan Penlington, Customer Experience Director for South Western Railway, said:

“The joint SWR and GWR team worked tirelessly, engaging with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Thames Valley Police and many other community partners to make the day an unforgettable success.

“This was the first time we have collaborated for such an event, sharing ideas and producing contingency plans for every eventuality. I am very proud of the team and heartily congratulate them for this accolade.”

Richard Rowland, Customer Service & Transformation Director for Great Western Railway, said:

“The Royal Wedding in Windsor this year was by far the biggest and most high-profile event GWR & SWR have planned for.

“It involved months of meticulous planning culminating in providing over 45,000 customer journeys to and from the event. The team worked collaboratively with Network Rail and British Transport Police to ensure plans were joined up and everything ran smoothly on the day. Well done everyone who made this possible.”

SWR’s Head of stations, Jenny Saunders offered her congratulations, saying:

“Tim has been part of the railway for the past 30 years, first joining as part of Red Star. However, he has grown in ability and confidence every year since then and still can’t quite believe he has made it this far in terms of his career.

“He is a natural born leader who is loved by peers, direct reports and front-line colleagues and many railway managers credit Tim with helping them along the way.

“Tim will take on any challenge with a smile on his face and really loves his job and the people he works with. One thing for certain is that he deserves this nomination. His Dad (a train driver for many years) would have been incredibly proud of him.”

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